The Dark Above by Jeremy Finley

William Chance & Lynn Roseworth #2

Published July 23, 2019 by St. Martin’s Press

336 Pages

Goodreads Summary: In this sequel to the critically-acclaimed novel that grabbed fans of X-Files and Stranger Things, Jeremy Finley returns with another thriller full of aliens and government cover-ups.

For most of his life, William Chance has been the living proof that his grandmother and her fellow researchers into missing people were right all along about the terror from the stars. Now, he’s avoiding the limelight and hiding out from everyone, including his family. He knows he can avoid everything, except for the nightmares: fires, storms, disease and violence – he dreams of it all.

When he’s suddenly exposed, he finds that the media, government operatives and renegade true believers are desperate to find him, but he has another mission. Joined by a girl with terrifying abilities, he begins a desperate journey across the United States to find the others who share his dreams to stop what could be the final days of the world.

Jeremy Finley’s debut The Darkest Time of Night was called “outstanding” in a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was a June 2018 SIBA Okra Selection. Now, he continues the story of Lynn and William, fifteen years later in a new fast-paced novel full of suspense and government cover-ups, perfect for thriller and supernatural fans alike.

Review: This is the sequel to The Darkest Time of Night so if you haven’t read that one yet there will be some spoilers ahead for you. If you haven’t read The Darkest Time of Night yet, I highly recommend it if you enjoy Stranger Things and The X-Files. I’ve always had a hard time seeing when people compare a book to other popular things but after reading these two books, I can 100% see where they came up with this mashup. The Dark Above picks up 15 years after the events from The Darkest Time of Night. William is gone again, but this time by his own choice. After many years of being in the media spotlight after reuniting with his family, he has had enough and wants to be on his own. He believes that by doing so he is also keeping his family safe because there is still that thing inside him that the aliens left behind. Lynn, William’s grandmother who was also abducted when she was young wants desperately to find him. But she’s not the only one. The story quickly picks up and the action begins to build. More pieces of the puzzle are revealed as William is on the run from the Sky Surveillance Agency AKA the SSA. He finally comes to know what it means being the conduit.

I really love this author’s style of writing. I am completely drawn into the story and feel like I am right there in the action, feeling the winds of the hurricanes and the heat of the fires. I love how the characters are written and their stories are intertwined to create this epic story. I absolutely love Roxy’s character and how spunky she is. I really like that William envisions her as a voice within his head, like a conscience and he hears her saying things that sound exactly like something she would say to him in the situations he finds himself in. There were a few new characters that I fell in love with too. Quincy was such a great character and I really enjoyed his humor and the lightness he was able to add to such awful situations. Lily was such a darling character. I wanted to scoop her up and give her a big hug. I love how things ended in this book. It felt like the perfect way to end things.

If you’re looking for a good mystery/thriller with some science fiction thrown in, look no further. Grab copies of The Darkest Time of Night and The Dark Above today!

4 Stars

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.